I see people talking about fractal builds but I cannot yet find a good Ranger one! either it's all being tested, or the thread is dead. So can someone whose pretty knowledgeable with upper level fractals either post their build or comment on this?

I'm just over level 10 and I was just running full Berserker everything and man do I get hit hard.

So I came up with this build and I'd like some expert feedback or any feedback if I can.

For armor I was thinking full Valkyrie, The weapons I use are Mystic Crescent(power/per/condition dmg) and a Pearl Stinger (power/per/crit)
Jewels Ill keep my Karka Shell/Ruby for rings. Ruby earrings. And Emerald Amulet.

Traits
If you are friends of the Bows I recommend having 15 points in the Beastmastery. Just so you can unleash some arrows faster (Zephy'rs Speed) while swapping pets and reducing cool down on pet swap (Loud Whistle). Did not have those myself first either but when tryed I can not live without those Traits anymore if I'm going Bowsets.

Pets
Bear is great choice cause of Condition Removal. Unfortunetaly more and more red dots are coming immune to fear which makes Wolf lack of it's special ability in my opinion at least. I have Fern Hound/Moa to add either Regeneration/Fury which has actually pretty nice duration. If you like smashing F2 abilitys of pets' I do recommend having Commanding Voice -Trait.

Skills
Healing Spring is a great choice and I don't personally understand why not all rangers have this. Lightning Reflexes is one heck of a skill and I really recommend it as you have it already. Rest 2 are situational along with Elite skill you like to use. Entangle is nice for offensive and supportive. You give time for team mates to run away or either just for damage. If going purely glass cannon maybe Rampage as One is preferred.

Yea i switch pets based on situation and I did notice that some things just don't fear so i was hesitant to have the wolf. But usually I think pets are institutional you're right. Same for the other two. I usually do keep both QZ and LR the signet i change based on what I need. Same with elite. The thing that bothers me is armor setup. Which armor/runes/jewels are good for upper fractals. As impossible as it is to have everything I somehow keep trying it.

so what do you think of the Armor/Jewel choice?

you also said

Tripolityx, on 27 December 2012 - 04:17 PM, said:

If you are friends of the Bows

Is there a more optimal way to go about these upper level fracs than dual bows? (despite the LB currently lacking)

Personally when it comes to Fractal I'm very Bowy player. Warhorn buffs before fight starts or mid of the fight is always nice buff for whole party too. Don't underestimate the Warhorn. Adding/changing traits optimally for Warhorn is waste in my opinion tho. About the armors.... in General PvE around the world exploration I pretty much use full Magic Find. At Fractals full Berserker. There's foreverlasting fight going on what are "good" armors and trinkets + sigils + runes on what situation. I like to play full dps on my Ranger in the Fractals. +50% endurance regen for Ranger and the Lightning Reflexes should be enough to keep you alive along with positioning. If you want to go on extremes you can add utility skill "Protect Me" along with the Stone Signet

I use warhorn+axe, and both bows on my secondary (switch depending on the room)
I'm also one of the few rangers runnig knight's, as i feel the added damage from a glass cannon spec is not worth the survival/support you can offer by being a little more tanky.
Warhorn in itself offers far more overall damage then a glass cannon build with 2 bows.
Playing with "team first" mentality, QZ and the new and improved "Search and rescue" are excellent utilities for ressing. An aoe cc is also very handy in many situations, like frost, spike or MT.
Protect me is also pretty good, as i'm often the first one getting in to res a downed, doing that pretty often while under fire is risky business, and that skill is a lifesaver.

As long as traits go, i run a standard 20/30/whatever, with 2 sec protection on dodge roll, 50% stamina regen and piercing arrows being the must haves.
I'm considering the 15 points in BM as well, but i'm not sure what to give up. 30 Skirmishing is pretty useful, both for traits and the added toughness...

Axe/Horn and Shortbow in a mixed group are probably the best weapons for a ranger. The axe allows a ranger to stay at a distance which is almost always a good thing. The horn has one of the single best skills in the game with Call of the Wild. For a condition build Hunters Call can be a charmer as well. I find the longbow to be fairly useless particularly in groups which hate Point Blank and Barrage is kind of a yawner for damage. All of the shortbow skills are group friendly and since most groups get in close the longbow looses its range advantage most of the time while the flanking of the shortbow is either a bonus or flat awesome for condi builds. I personally use the axe combo when a target is facing me then switch to shortbow when I get behind it.

Healing Spring... period. It sets up a water field and removes conditions. Always best to choose this if you aren't going to be moving all over the place.

Signet of the Wild I would swap for Muddy Terrain which can be a tide turner in a fight or sharpening stone for a condi build.

In traits I would swap Companions Might for Sharpened Edges particularly because a lot of your picks have been to boost critical hits. I also like Wilderness Survival over Nature Magic. Faster endurance allows more dodging which can keep Agony off and protection after a dodge for pet/player is a nice bonus. I also think Wilderness Survial trait is on par with Strength of Spirit since you have slotted several Survival Skills.

I run a full Berserker glasscannon SB/Sword-Horn build in Fractals. Skills I can't dream playing without:
1.Lightning Reflexes. I always have a stun breaker in my build, even if there is no CC. And this skill gives Vigor, which improves my build and adds survivability.
2.Quickening Zephyr. This skill never leaves my skill bar. 4 seconds of quickness, which can help allies or you (ressing faster or killing faster).

This build is very versatile, and can be used with Full Berserker gear or a Condition Damage Set and you'll get good consistent damage from wearing either.

I switch to a condition damage set with some Chrysocola accessories when I need more vitality (I top out at 20k HP with my condition damage gear on).

What you will find with this build which is immensely fun not just for fractals but for pve in general, is that with only these few points in Beastmastery your pet will hit like a truck and survive a lot longer than you think. In fractals I switch my pets up depending on the fractal, but always find good utility for them, and their damage output is seriously ridiculous (mainly the cats).

You get 2 seconds of quickness every 14 seconds (provided you keep your pet up), and just generally I find this to be a very fun build, and definitely more engaging than our standard glass cannon builds.

In pvp it has been working well for me, as most ignore my pet, so when I pop rampage and signet of the wild and my pet becomes godlike, I just let it do the work, I think my Jag crit recently on a thief who jumped me for 6k~ which put a massive grin on my face

Quick question, how come no 5 in Wilderness Survival, if I had to move 5 from somewhere else to there for the 50% endurance regen, where do you suggest I move them from.

Personally if I would go without, and if I really did want the regen, I'd probably get the Superior sigil of Energy. I find that if I need the extra evasion chance for an encounter, I will have lightning reflexes as a utility to replace Sick 'Em, because some encounters your pet will die no matter how much you try and save it (i.e. high level fractal bosses etc), so I will usually swap sick 'em for Lightning Reflexes.

If you are determined though to get those extra 5 points to put in WS, then if you primarily WvW then I would take them from Skirmishing as you aren't flanking your opponents as often, and definitely not/very little in 1v1 2v1 situations, and if you primarily PvE then take them out of Beastmastery.

My opinion though is to take Superior Energy sigil on your warhorn instead if you want the extra regen.